NP21716_CordBlood-E-book_2026-05-27 - Flipbook - Page 8
Cord blood recipient story
Dr. Hall becomes a champion of
stem cells he used to throw away
David Hall, MD, has delivered more than 5,000 babies in his
40 years as an OB/GYN. He’d discarded almost all of the
cord blood as medical waste. He had no idea how valuable it could
be until 2012, when he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia
with FTL-3 mutation.
“We achieved remission with chemotherapy, but without a
bone marrow transplant my chance of remission-free survival
was only 5-10%. We searched the NMDP Registry for a donor
without success—until we were told of the possibility of a
cord blood transplant.”
David learned that cord blood has many advantages compared to
adult stem cells: it’s stored and ready for rapid use, offers excellent
anti-leukemia effect with much lower rates of relapse and
mismatches are better tolerated.
“My life was saved in 2013 by just four ounces of liquid stem cells
donated by two generous and caring families. I wish with all my heart
that I could personally thank them for their amazing gifts, but all I can
do is try to pay it forward by loving and helping others, and spreading
the word about the value of cord blood.”
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David Hall, MD, cord blood recipient
